


A Hundred Grand In Two Hours

by mylifeismediocre



Category: Emmerdale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 05:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14230146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylifeismediocre/pseuds/mylifeismediocre
Summary: Based on last night's episode of Emmerdale, but rather Aaron getting kidnapped, Liv gets caught in the middle of it.





	A Hundred Grand In Two Hours

Teaching Syd a lesson was one of the most thrilling things Aaron had ever done, with Cain by his side and his husband by his other, he’d never felt adrenalin like it. It was controlled anxiety, smugness taking over his entire body as they threatened to push him in, the trio reminiscing in the pub, a celebratory pint, laughing at how the isolated man had really thought he’d get a hundred grand at the snap of his fingers, that he held power above the Dingle’s, that he was going to win. It was a pathetic mind set, a fantasy mind set, an unrealistic mind set. Syd got what he deserved, leaving him there until someone busted him out, knowing he couldn’t call the police for the sake of him being a wanted man. As the boys bid farewell to Cain, they left the pub, determined to get home and forget the past few days had even happened.

And then Aaron’s phone rung, a cheeky smile upon his face as he noticed Liv was trying to facetime him. She was probably going to moan about Sandra, but hearing her voice was an opportunity he would always take up, dropping everything to ask her how she was doing. The thrill of the crazy stories she told were enough to send shivers down his spine, laughing so hard he ached because she just knew how to word things in ways that could send giggles through the coldest person.

Holding up the screen, still black so he could see his reflection, clearly waiting for the video to come through.

“Missing us yet?” Robert joked, reaching for his husband’s hand as they walked towards their home, Aaron giving his husband a playful glare, allowing himself to laugh like a teenager in love, because Robert continued to make him feel young, the kind of love kids first experience, not wanting to be away from their significant other, their lives revolving around their relationship, something both men could easily relate to.

The black phone screen disappeared, Liv’s face coming into view, the boys taking a second to recognise her. Tape over her mouth, a cut on her right cheek and one just above her left eyebrow, her body shaking with fear, her dark eyes enough to send chills down anyone’s spines. Calling for his sister, he gripped his phone tighter, fingers turning red, Robert placing a reassuring hand between Aaron’s shoulder blades, the older man himself terrified. 

“I’m not playing nice anymore. I want a hundred grand by 5pm, or I’ll kill her.” Syd. The creepy man’s voice erupting from the speakers of the phone, threatening them, a sinister laugh escaping his lips, brushing a strand of Liv’s hair behind her ear, the girl flinching at the touch.

Aaron had never felt as angry as he did in that moment. He was protective, yes, overprotective even, but this was on a whole new scale. On a whole new level. His mind was filled with thoughts and worries, his anxiety being overshadowed by his anger, the pure hatred he felt deep in his soul was enough to kill, enough to hurt anyone who put his little sister’s life at risk, hell, he even wanted to hurt anyone who even thought about her in a way he didn’t like.

“You wouldn’t.” Robert’s stern voice broken Aaron away from his thoughts, causing him to look up at his husband’s face of stone, before turning back to the phone screen.

“I think we all know I would.” Syd laughed, a hand stroking Liv’s hair back, and just seeing her uncomfortable sent waves of fury through both of them. It was only a few hours back that they had pledged with Cain to never tell Chas, and to never tell Liv about the money Syd was demanding, holding onto Seb, but for some annoying reason, these people were too quick. This wasn’t the first time the teen had been caught in the middle of these kind of situations, she was always the bait, always covered in bruises, always down the hospital. Her mental health wasn’t particularly great at the moment, and this was going to absolutely tear her apart.

“You have 2 hours to bring me that money.” Liv’s captor demanded. “Or this pretty face,” he began, pushing a gun to her forehead, holding a knife in front of her throat, “gets it, or I’ll keep her for myself, haven’t decided yet.” And then screen went black, their stomachs dropping, thinking how the hell they were going to get so much cash in barely any time. The bank wouldn’t allow them to withdraw all that money on one go. They thought they had finished him. They thought they had the upper hand.

“Let’s just try our best to remain calm.” Robert spoke softly, trying to reassure his husband who he turned to smile at him, only to realise Aaron was already on his way down the village, heading towards the farm, clearly on a mission to fill Cain in on their recent revelation. The older man followed, noticing the fists at Aaron’s sides, before realising he was doing the same. 

\---

Cain had just grabbed himself a beer from the fridge, proud of the successful day he’d had. It wasn’t every day you got to kidnap someone, threaten to push them into a lake, only to throw away the key. He was notoriously known for being involved in stunts like that, but the thrill of it always pushed away the negative opinions rising from the village. But no one could lie that he was the go to man when it came to revenge, and secretly, he absolutely loved the power he had when desperate neighbours came knocking. As he was just about to sit down on the sofa, the front door swung open, causing him to turn, greeted with Aaron and Robert’s worn out faces standing before him.

“Well come right in, why don’t you? No need to knock.” He sarcastically said, breathing out a humourless laugh between his words, trying to ignore the frantic behaviour being portrayed, wondering what had to have happened to get them both this riled up.

“They’ve got Liv.” Robert blurted out, causing Cain’s eyes to widen, his eyebrows to raise, protectiveness taking over his entire body. “Who?” He questioned, stepping towards the pair so they could speak a little quieter, determined to not frighten Moira when she’d been doing so well recently, not wanting to place this on her shoulders.

“Syd.” Aaron replied in a practically unrecognisable voice, he was incredibly angry, a personality he very rarely showed, but it was incredibly obvious that these people had got the right person in their custody to tear him apart, to actually go and somehow find the money they needed.

“The guy you laughed at, the guy you said was a joke. He’s just video called us.” Robert sounded like he was about to cry, out of breath, anxiously fidgeting, eyes trained on Cain who had placed his beer down on the table, ready to sort this problem out and give it his full attention. Liv was a Dingle now. She was someone he had to look out for. Despite her past, despite the amount of times she had screwed up, despite the ketamine incident causing Lisa to end up in hospital, he had to look out for her and protect her, and keep her safe above all else. 

“Where?” Cain asked, hoping they’d know so they could just go and get her, put this Syd bloke in hospital, kill him, even if Liv was returned to them in one piece. How had he even gotten her? Last time he heard she was in Dublin with her mum, running away from her problems just like her brother, escaping the eyes that never left her, escaping the voices who told her how much of a disgrace she was, escaping the village to focus on staying calm before the trial. She definitely didn’t need this.

“If we knew that, we’d be there, not here.” Robert practically cried out, the frustration building up inside of him, hating that they were wasting time explaining, they needed the money, they needed to get her back. Of course he wouldn’t know where she was, that’s not exactly how kidnappings work, only finding out when you’ve been cheated by the ransom and have to practically hand your life away for the sake of your loved one. Something that anyone would do in a heartbeat, something Robert never thought he’d have to do because he had never found people he loved, people he cared about enough to lead them to safety. Aaron and Liv were on a whole new level.

“Well, uh, what did you see? Anything to help?” Cain quizzed, not liking how he was stuttering his words out of fear, something he was glad he didn’t have an audience to witness.

“She was in a van, not that there’s a shortage of any of them around.” Aaron finally piped up, voice hard a stone, fury igniting his bones, anger in his mind, and death in his hands. His normal persona completely gone, and replaced with a man who was determined, focused, ready. And his husband found him incredibly hot, Cain raising his eyebrows.

“It’s a start.” The older man reassured the blonde, seeing how anxious he was, which he found strange because Liv was Aaron’s little sister, but he was keeping a cool demeanour, clearly not wanting his anxious emotion pouring out of his eyes, not wanting to give up, not wanting to keep her in danger.

“He said he wants that hundred grand, I’ve only got ten. He said we’ve got two hours or he’s going to kill her.” Robert confirmed, not liking the view he had of Cain’s face dropping, of the older man’s weakness, his fears taking over his being, leaving the blonde barely any hope to cling on to.

“No they won’t.” Cain shook his head, his voice a little shaky from the anxiety within him.

“Because you’ve been spot on about him so far.” Robert shouted, frustrated.

“You just need to calm down, right? We need to think straight. He wants some money, so, if he kills Liv there’s no incentive.”

“Are you willing to bet her life against that, are you?” 

“You two work on finding the money. I’ll work on finding Liv.”

“Find her how?” Aaron joined in, staying away from the pair fighting, but confused how Cain was just going to be able to find his little sister at the snap of his fingers. The older man just shrugged his shoulders at them, clearly still in the process of trying to figure it for himself.

“Just stop asking questions, and just go.” He demanded, the pair leaving, just as Moira stepped forward from the living room, a confused look upon her face, looking at the man she was in love with, with nothing but worry in her eyes, placing her hands on her hips as the front door slammed shut.

“What is it?” She challenged, as the man turned to face her, taking a sip of his beer as his answer, causing her to roll her eyes. “Don’t you lie to me.” She demanded.

So Cain explained. Every little detail escaping his lips, talking as quickly as he could so he wouldn’t waste the two hour time limit, knowing that anything could be happening, that the boys may never find the money. Who could in such a short amount of time? It was a big sum, and none of them could go to the police for the sake of them all getting locked up.

“Do you think he’d actually kill Liv?” She asked, pacing the kitchen, Cain anxiously biting at his fingernails. He shook his head at her, but there was uncertainty in it. “This is crazy. Can you get the money?”

“Aaron and Robert are on it.” Cain replied quickly, practically spitting it out, hands resting against the kitchen cabinets, eyes looking between the woman before him, and the floor below him, the entire situation making him feel uneasy.

“And have you called the police?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest, knowing the answer, but wanting it confirmed.

“If he even gets a sniff that the police are involved, he’ll kill Liv. And that’ll connect us to Adam’s getaway.”

“So, what we gonna do?”

“We?”

“What, you think I’m going to stand by when some thug has Liv? A teenage girl?”

Cain sighed, running his hand through his hair, knowing that once Moira has set her mind to something, there was no point trying to change her mind. She was determined, like him, and sometimes the pair together could solve problems in a blink of an eye. So if anyone was going to accompany him on this journey, he couldn’t fault her. He just worried, not wanting Syd to come for his weakest link, not wanting something to happen to the woman he loved, just as she had overcome struggles of her own.

“Well, I thought I might get in touch with the McFarlan’s. See if they know where Syd is, they might’ve heard something.”

“Let’s go.”

\---

Peek-a-boo was something Seb really enjoyed. Victoria couldn’t count the amount of times she had played it today, all of it being worth it when she saw that little smile across his face, something that was making her incredibly broody, and miss Adam more and more. She absolutely adored her nephew, but she couldn’t help but want one of her own. All she wanted to be was a mum, and she felt like she’d never be one. But seeing Seb, and watching her brother cradle his son, was enough to send her worries out the window.

She laughed with him, just as she heard her front door swing open and slam shut, turning around to be greeted with the sight of Aaron and Robert, worried looks on their faces, not knowing if she’d like what they were about to say.

“Where’s Rebecca?” Robert demanded.

“She’s at a therapy session, why?”

“I want you to get his stuff, and go to The Woolpack, and stay there until we call you.” 

The statement caused Victoria to jump up, hands on her hips, never enjoying being the person who received orders and just followed through. She wanted to know every little detail of why this was happening, why her brother was so insistent on her leaving her house, why Aaron was quiet, anxiously chewing at his fingernails as he perched on the arm of the chair.

“Why?” She practically screamed at them, truly believing her brother was over all of this.

“Just do it, Vic.” Aaron told her, her eyes falling upon him, anxiety filling her stomach, and she, too, found herself chewing at her own fingernails.

“What’s going on?”

“Somebody’s got Liv, and unless we can come up with a hundred grand in an hour and a half-“ Robert began, checking his watch, only leading him to be cut off by his little sister.

“Who has got her?”

“It doesn’t matter, he’s a psycho. Which is why I want you to go to the pub because there’s people there, you’ll be safe.” Robert shouted, losing his temper and losing his patience.

“Right, how much money have you got?” She questioned.

“Ten grand.”

“That’s all?”

“Which is why I need Rebecca.”

“Rebecca is not going to be able to get her hands on cash like that today. I mean, which normal person can?” Victoria was slowly raising her voice, speaking just as fast as her brother.

“Just go to the pub, and I’ll call you.” Robert demanded, reaching for Aaron’s hand as they left the cottage, tears making their way out of Aaron’s eyes and down his face as the pair headed towards the mill, trying to come up with ideas of how they were going to come up with that kind of money that quickly.

“Rob, what if we don’t get her back?” Aaron’s insecurities were now pouring out of him, fear taking over his body, anxiety controlling his movements, his brain becoming reckless, wanting his sister to remain unharmed, not liking the whole not knowing element. He couldn’t stop thinking how she was with that dodgy man on her own, and he could be doing god knows what to her, hurting her, going as far as what Gordon did to him. He wanted Liv to take the time out at her mum’s to focus on herself, not even thinking about her upcoming court case, but she was 16, and this situation alone was enough to tear someone apart.

“We will. I’m not stopping, I have an idea.”

\---

Liv had never been so scared in her life. She was just walking down the street to grab her mum a pint of milk from the corner shop when someone had grabbed her, throwing her into a van, driving for miles, she heard them get onto a ferry, obviously heading for the mainland, and she could smell the familiar sense of home which were the Yorkshire dales. She was being used as bait with something that involved her brothers, and her mum was probably worried sick, or not caring at all. The two men that had taken her were terrifying, reminding her of Gordon, and even some of her mum’s ex boyfriends who were disgusting, and creepy.

She flinched when the van doors swung open, the man with no hair who she’d learned to know was called Syd, reached for her, throwing her from the van onto the floor, holding her down, glancing to the other man who was holding a gun. She hated that she was bound and her mouth was taped, because she knew what she was capable of, and she knew how to retrieve a gun from someone’s hands so quickly that they wouldn’t even have time to react, but she wasn’t in the position to defend herself.

She glanced around at her surroundings. She was in the middle of a forest, trees taller than imaginable, cold air becoming nippy as the wind blew her hair, reminding her of the place she’d driven Robert’s car when she had nicked the bottle of brandy after their fight at Home Far, when she’d ended up in hospital, because he’d drugged the alcohol with diazepam, intending it for Lawrence to drink. She’d never forget it. Never forget how hurt that situation had made her, wondering where this particular situation would take her.

Syd was doing it again, stroking her hair, a hand on her face, a sinister smile spreading across his features, a cackle escaping his lips.

“We’re going to have some fun with you.” He told her, smirking up at the other man before turning back to her, his hands now running over her body, touching her, kissing her, hurting her, and then he was at the button of her jeans, undoing the zip, pulling them down. She screamed beneath the tape but they were in the middle of nowhere, and she wasn’t loud enough. She went to try again, but she was slapped across the face by the man with the gun, demanding her to be quiet or she’ll be sorry. She was terrified, defenceless, and she had to watch these men rape her, already receiving the blows, a knife somehow had scraped across her stomach, leaving an open wound, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain between her legs.

“I don’t know why Aaron locks you away. Pretty girl, you are. Maybe I don’t want the money anymore, rather keep you around instead.” 

She felt sick, she felt it in her stomach, she felt it in her chest, she felt it in her throat, but she swallowed it, tears escaping her eyes, blurring her vision, her body shaking like a leaf. The two men before her would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life, she couldn’t help but see the similarity between them and her dad, knowing they’d probably get along, considering they all enjoyed tearing apart kids. Aaron would fall apart if he knew what they’d done to her, she mentally told herself to never tell him, to just complain about the few scratches and bruises, but Syd could read her mind.

“I can’t wait to tell your brother about all the fun we’ve had with you.”

Liv couldn’t believe this was happening, understood now why Aaron didn’t want to talk about his abuse story, and that was controlled by his own father, which was worse than not knowing who your rapists were. He felt like he had to remain quiet, kept his mouth shut for years, over a decade, and now her secret was about to be exposed in the few hours of it even happening. She didn’t want to worry her brother, she didn’t want to worry Robert, knowing the pair of them were capable of ruining lives. Liv had never been so scared in her life, all she wanted was Aaron’s arms around her, reassuring her, hoping she’d wake up and this all have been a dream. But she knew that it wasn’t, that this was her life. A broken doll people could use when they were bored, and she had a fucking trial in a few weeks. She wanted her life to be over, wanted them to kill her, rather than face the responsibilities she had been challenged with.

She kept her eyes shut, laying on the wet grass, trying to ignore the pain of the bruises, the pain of the open wounds, the pain between her legs. She was determined to not give up, but it was getting harder and harder with every second that passed.

\---

Moira watched as Cain made his way back to the car, returning from the house belonging to the McFarlan’s, questioning their knowledge of Syd’s whereabouts. Opening the door of the black BMW, Moira turned to him, ready to know all the details on where Liv was so they could get her back before any damage was done. She had been sat thinking about Aaron and Robert, and how on earth they were going to get a hundred grand in two hours when all they originally had was ten. 

“What did they say?” She asked him, as he undid the zip of his coat a little bit, so it wasn’t restricting his mouth. He shook his head slightly.

“Same as before. They have no idea where Syd is, and they don’t care either.” She sighed, resting back into the seat, turning to look at him. “Turns out he did a number on his nephew.”

“His nephew? Why?” She asked, watching him get comfortable behind the wheel, reaching to grab his seatbelt, buckling it in.

“Bought a leather jacket off the kid, zip bust, kid won’t give the money back. So, he put him in hospital.”

“Well, if nobody knows where he is, how are we gonna get Liv back?”

“I’ve honestly no idea.” Cain admitted, letting out a defeated sigh, watching Moira do the same, both frustrated with the day’s events. His phone ringing broke them both out of their thoughts, causing him to reach into his back pocket, pulling it out, looking at who was calling, greeted with Robert’s name flashing across the screen, telling Moira who it was before pressing it to his ear, and answering. 

“We’ve got the money.” Was the only words spoken, a sigh of relief escaping Cain’s lips.

“How?” He questioned, a smile on his face, enough to reassure Moira that they’d get Liv back.

“I’ll call you when I know where the drop off is.” And then he hung up, Cain starting the car up, ready to head back to the village.

\---

“Robert, are you sure you want to do this?” Aaron asked, speeding up to reach his husband who was already walking up to Home Farm, ignoring the question from his husband, happy to throw everything away for the sake of Liv, their Liv. He pushed the door open, not bothering to knock, greeted with Joe and Graham sat on the sofa, clearly waiting for them, their faces confirming that they were the ones who had caused Syd to kidnap the teen, always wanting the upper hand.

“I’ll sell you my share of the business for £90,000. The original price.” Joe smirked, willing to give him the money, happy that he’d won at the feud they were having, content with the power, enjoying the boost of his ego, standing up to face the pair, a laugh escaping his lips.

“It’s not worth that much. I did some digging. I’ll give you £40,000.” He replied, watching their faces drop, anxiety filling them, Aaron stormed out, not wanting to hear it, too busy thinking about his sister and what he could do to get her back, wondering if Cain had found the bloke, wondering why Liv had to be the bait, wondering why she had to be involved. Syd was smart, knew the right buttons to press, knew how to get beneath his skin, knew how to get what he wanted. Aaron leant against the wall, wondering why his husband had yet to follow him out, raising his eyebrows at him when he eventually did.

“I’ve got the money.”

“How?”

“I’ll explain later. I’m calling Cain. Let’s go and get her back.” And with that, their hands locked, practically running back into the village, Robert already pulling out his phone, confirming he’d got the money, heading towards his car.

\---

The car pulled into the forest, the group greeted with the sight of a van, a man standing in front of it, confirming they were in the right place. They couldn’t help but glance around, Aaron’s eyes staring at a patch of blood in the grass, the anger inside him threatening to come out. They could all smell it, the red liquid portraying a metal type scent. Robert stepped towards the man, Liv still not in sight, not knowing whether anyone would really want to be greeted with the sight of her broken body.

“What’s she doing here?” Syd shouted, making his way from behind the van, not liking that a woman had showed up, not liking how vastly outnumbered they now were. Two men to four people, all who looked like they could do serious damage.

“Just get on with it.” Moira demanded, with a voice so cold it send shivers down everyone’s spines. They had all stepped forward now, standing in a line, eyes searching for any sight of Liv, but the two men in front of them were so money driven, it’s like they’d forgotten about the girl they’d be holding hostage, their faces proving they’d clearly done a lot of damage to her.

“Ooh, she’s a keeper, that one.” The anonymous bloke spat out, a laugh escaping his lips, leaving his partner to smirk at him before letting out a smirk of his own, before they turned back, eyes trained on the bag Robert was holding, clearly thinking about the money they now had, ready to have the time of their lives. “Money first.” 

“How about this first?” Cain asked, holding up the gun from the farm, pointing it directly at Syd. But then the other man pulled out a gun of his own, aiming it at them, smiling, finding it funny how they thought they’d have the upper hand. He found humour in the scared looks upon their faces, looking not so clever now, looking a little frightened, something the pair took pride in, blocking their way to the van, Syd folding his arms across his chest.

“Don’t take me for a fool, Cain.” He demanded, enjoying every single moment of this confrontation, enjoying the power he had in his hands, enjoying the looks on everyone’s faces.

“Just put it down.” Robert shouted to the man with the gun, not liking how scared his voice sounded, not liking how everyone had picked up on it, everyone turning to face him, even Moira raising her eyebrows. “Look, we’ve got the money. I don’t want any violence, I just want Liv back.”

“Drop it.” Syd told Cain, looking at him with eyebrows raised. “Or this ain’t happening.” He added when the man still clutched the gun tightly, fingers going red at the pressure. He held his hands up, placing it down onto the floor.

“Where is she? If you’ve hurt her-“ Aaron began to shout, cutting himself off as Syd made his way over to the brown paper back still in Robert’s hands, glancing to his sidekick who was still pointing his gun at the group.

“Money first.” He demanded, Robert just handing him the bag, watching as the other man dropped the gun, and made his way round to the back of the van, out of sight for a moment, Syd laughing as he peeked inside the bag, glancing down at all the cash, reaching for the front door of the van, putting the money inside, before closing it and turning to face the group, arms folded across his chest, as he smirked at all their faces when they were greeted with the sight of Liv.

She was in the stranger’s arms, unconscious. Tape over her mouth, hands behind her back, covered in bruises and scratches, blood seeping through her white shirt, and everyone could see the broken button and zip on her jeans, just knowing what had gone on.

“We’ve had some fun with her. Sure she’ll tell you all about it.” The man holding her laughed, letting her fall from his arms and onto the floor, before sliding into the van quickly with Syd, driving off before a fight could take place, knowing Aaron would be aggressive over what they’d done to his baby sister. They knew they were cowards, but they were cowards with money, and they’d got what they wanted, so they kept driving and driving, not once looking back.

\---

Aaron dropped to his knees beside her, Robert doing the same, after sliding off his jacket and wrapping it around her as his husband gently lifted her back from the ground. Moira’s hand flew to her mouth at the sight of the teen’s broken body, finding comfort in the reassuring hand Cain has placed between her shoulder blades, before he knelt down as well, helping the boys examine the wounds across Liv’s broken body, not liking the cut still bleeding from her stomach. Moira walked towards them, pulling a hairband off her wrist, handing it to Robert who accepted it, thanking her, reaching down to pull Liv’s hair into a ponytail out of her face, before watching the woman do up Liv’s jeans, the look in her eyes something he’d never forget.

Cain had already slid off his jacket, pressing it against the wound on Liv’s stomach to stop the bleeding, watching Aaron sit with his legs separated, pulling his sister into the gap between them, rubbing her body when he noticed the goose bumps forming across her skin, gently removing the tape from her mouth, her arms already free from the tape behind her back. And then her eyes slowly opened, flinching away from her brother’s touch, from Cain’s jacket, and Robert’s hand resting upon her thigh. She was scared, taking a moment to recognise the faces in front of her, her eyes falling upon Moira at her feet, who gave her a soft smile, the teen relaxing a bit, settling back into her brother’s arms.

“Liv, I’m so sorry.” He croaked out, looking down into her eyes as she looked up at him, as he placed a hand on her cheek, letting her lean against it, too tired and too weak to properly hold herself up. One of her hands gently hit his thigh, a smile forming across her face, trying to knock some sense into him, before accepting the bottle of water Robert offered her, not being able to speak with her mouth so dry.

“You should call my mum. Went to the shop at the end of our road for a pint of milk, like, four hours ago.” She explained, causing the four around her to laugh slightly, not even thinking about herself, but rather worrying about everyone else.

“Robert texted her in the car. She’s going to send your stuff over.” Moira explained, accepting the small nod from the teen as her answer. And then Cain pushed his jacket a little too hard against the open wound across her stomach, causing her to let out a cry of pain, something that made tears fall from her brother’s eyes, and surprisingly Robert’s as well. Cain apologised, watching as she shut her eyes, not wanting to lose her pride displaying the pain she was in. He pulled his jacket away, noticing the bleeding had stopped, pulling her shirt down slightly.

“Let’s get her in the car.” Cain announced, handing Moira his bloodstained jacket, standing up, Robert at his side, trying to figure out the best way to help her up without hurting her. Aaron gently stood up from behind her, resting both his hands on her back so she had something to lean on, before bending down, and placing one of his hands beneath her knees, his other circling her back, lifting her into his arms, a little moan of pain escaping her lips.

“Got her?” Robert asked his husband, who nodded, looking down at his sister’s face, a sad smile appearing on his own, her eyes were shut and she looked like she was frowning before opening them and looking up at them, Moira and Cain already waiting in the car, allowing the family a moment to themselves.

“Did they touch you?” Aaron asked, not liking the small nod she gave, confirming his fears, Robert ran a hand over his face, wishing he could’ve murdered those men when he had the chance. They were on the run, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to put a bullet in their brains and just burnt their bodies.

“It’s fine, try not to worry.” She mumbled, not liking the way they were both now looking at her, shocked expressions across their faces, Aaron adjusting her in his arms.

“It’s not fine, Liv.” Her brother told her, she looked up at him. “I want to fucking kill them.”

“You and me both.” Robert agreed.

“It’s over and done with now, can’t we just leave it?” She pleaded, tears in her eyes as she spoke, the boys just nodding, not wanting to upset her, but both mentally knew this wouldn’t be the end of it. They were going to make sure Syd paid for what he’d done. They could track him down, they could leave it a year and then go after him. They’d do whatever it would take to make him hurt the way Liv was currently.

“Let’s get you home.” Aaron told her, watching his husband open the car door for him, sliding into the seat, steadying Liv in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest, smiling as she leant her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes, Robert shutting their door before making his way round to his side, buckling himself in, before reaching over and buckling the other seatbelt in for them. He smiled softly at his husband, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, before letting his hand reach down and stroke Liv’s cheek, her eyes opening at the touch, a soft smile formed across her features, before shutting them again, feeling him retract his hand, and feeling safe at the protective kiss her brother placed on her forehead. And with that, the car sped off out of the forest and towards the village.

\---

The boys had tucked Liv up on the sofa, making sure she was comfortable, after forcing her to take a pain killer and to let them wrap up some of the wounds across her body. They were now sat at the kitchen table, brews in their hands, Cain and Moira sat opposite them, a comfortable silence filling the air.

“You need to keep an eye on her.” Moira breathed out, not liking the state the teen was in, not wanting them to lose her after the way she’d lost Holly.

“We will.” Aaron reassured, giving her a soft smile. 

“I’m just glad she’s back safe and sound.” She added.

“Yeah, and a hundred grand lighter.” Cain added, a sarcastic tone in his voice, reaching his hand behind him and scratching the back of his head.

“It was my money, so, it was my choice.” Robert spoke softly, knowing Aaron and Liv were worth every single penny, everything he’d ever had, he’d give up in a heartbeat for the two of them, safe and sound.

“How did you get it anyway?” Moira questioned, curious with how the bloke managed to get a hundred grand just like that, when all he originally had was ten. No bank would’ve allowed him to withdraw all of that cash, without it looking suspicious at least. That kind of money isn’t exactly something people just have lying around. 

“It doesn’t matter now, it’s over.” The blonde avoided the question, not wanting to reveal the secret he wasn’t particularly proud of. Moira just nodded, not wanting to push any further, just happy that Liv was safe, tucked up on the sofa, with her two boys looking after her. It was obviously going to take her awhile to slowly come back to her old self, but she was back where she belonged, with who she belonged with. Looked after by two of the most overprotective people on the planet.

“Well, I’ll tell you what does matter.” Aaron started. “We keep the depths of this situation between us.” They all nodded. “I’ll talk to Liv when she’s awake.”

“Agreed.” Cain pushed out.

“Fine.” Moira concluded, after the look Robert had given her, throwing her hands up in defence. “Right, come on. We best be getting back.” She directed at Cain, standing from her seat at the table, the man following. “Right, if you need anything, just call, okay?” She reassured Aaron, hugging him. Accepting the mumbled thanks he pushed out, before pulling away and heading over to the couch, pressing her lips to Liv’s forehead. She turned to see all three of the blokes reaching across each other to shake hands, silently thanking each other for the work they’d all put in to get Liv home safely. And with that, they left, ready to curl up on the sofa at the farm, and give Isaac the biggest cuddle possible.

Robert sat back down at the table, watching his husband do the same, a vacant look in his eyes. “Well, that was a day.” The blonde tried to joke, stopping when the other man didn’t crack a smile.

“What you just said,” Aaron began, causing his husband to look at him. “It’s not true, it does matter.”

“What does?”

“Where the money came from. There’s no way Joe Tate actually gave you £90,000 for your share of the business.”

Robert leant back in his chair, not liking what he was about to tell. Wishing his husband didn’t have to know, but he did. What he’d done was serious, but at least he knew how to get out of it.

“I had no choice, Aaron. She could’ve been killed.”

“Robert, tell me.”

“He owns this place too.” He spat out, glancing around at the walls of the mill, the walls of their home, not wanting to see his husband’s face drop at the statement he had just revealed.

“You can’t do that, you don’t own it, so you can’t sell it.” Aaron raised his voice, slightly, not wanting to wake Liv. “We bought this place with her money, you let us bring her back here, when, at the end of the day, this isn’t even her home anymore. Where the fuck are we going to go?” He stopped when he saw his husband breathe out a laugh. “Well, I’m glad you find this funny.” He spat out.

“You’re right. It wasn’t mine to give away, to sell. That’s the fault in all of this. We never signed anything. And even if we had, he still wouldn’t have owned it. Even if he wants to get fucking lawyers involved. I played him, Aaron. And yeah, we may be in his debt, but we’ve got Liv back, and our home, and Jimmy has already given me half of his share in the business.”

Aaron looked at his husband, impressed at the way he sorted it, and still managed to win his own feud with Joe Tate. He let himself laugh, let himself smile, feeling smug that he’d won. They saved Liv with money that wasn’t even their own. Yes, they no longer hand ten grand, but they were safe, they had it all, and if Joe went to the police about what he had seen that morning, threatening to push Syd into the lake, they could just go and get Lisa and Zac to press charges against him for putting Sampson and Noah in danger, Debbie would leave him, Graham wouldn’t pity him. They’d won. They’d worked their way around it.

“Robert Sugden, I fucking love you.” Aaron breathed out, curling his fingers around his husband’s collar, pulling him towards him, smashing their lips together in a heated kiss.

“And I love you, Aaron Dingle.” Robert laughed as the pair pulled away from each other, smiles taking over their faces, arms wrapping around each other as they stood up from their place at the kitchen table, holding onto each other so tightly, breathing in each other’s scent, feeling safe, and at home, that they fucking owned no matter what Joe Tate said.

A grown from the sofa pulled them apart, causing them to walk over and sit themselves down on the coffee table, opposite Liv, the broken girl they had got back, knowing it would take some time for her to be herself again. She’d been traumatised, hurt, raped, and she had a big court case coming up when she could potentially go to prison. But in this moment, she was safe, she was theirs, and she was home. And watching her blink open those big, blue eyes of her’s, Aaron and Robert knew that everything would be alright.


End file.
